We just caught a documentary on the BBC News channel presented by John Beattie and entitled “The Games People Play”, which seems to have been first aired on either Saturday or Tuesday (the BBC seems somewhat uncertain). Covering the link between sport and politics, for our money it’s one of the best things the state broadcaster has produced as part of its referendum programming, and we recommend it.

One rather depressing bit leapt out at us, though.

Sir Craig Reedie CBE, from Stirling, is former chairman of the British Olympic Committee and a current member of the International Olympic Committee. And when Beattie asked him about an independent Scotland’s entry into the 2016 Olympics in Rio, he gave an answer which readers may or may not find surprising, depending on their level of cynicism about “proud Scots”.

Reedie made a bizarre argument that an independent Scotland, despite having voted for independence in a democratic referendum accepted by the UK government in September 2014, might not have been recognised internationally by the start of the 2016 Games, and therefore would be refused entry.

That seems highly doubtful – two years is a lot of time to get all the paperwork sorted, especially given that Scotland already has all the infrastructure of a national athletics team in place and fully operational (as shown by its participation in the Commonwealth Games) – but it was what he said afterwards that jarred.

BEATTIE: As a Scot, though, would you not fight very hard to get them in?

REEDIE: No, I wouldn’t, because I was proud to be president, or chairman, of the British Olympic Association. I think elite athletes from Scotland have been served very well by membership of Team GB, they have benefited hugely from the very large amounts of UK funding that is available, and they are no less proud Scots.

Ironically, the exchange came just moments after Reedie had explained why Scottish athletes at the 1998 Commonwealth Games had been warned not to say things like “I’m doing this for Scotland”, because that would be judged a political act and impact on their chances of being picked for the British Olympic squad. So his view is apparently that you’re allowed to BE a proud Scot, just not to SAY so.

But let’s look at that statement again. If Scotland votes Yes, the fact that Scottish athletes may have been supported by Team GB in the past is neither here nor there.

(Indeed, the counter-argument can be made that the Union has served Scottish athletes so poorly that most of them have had to leave Scotland to find decent facilities. Many of the Scottish Commonwealth Games team train here in Bath.)

All that mattered in that scenario would be the future, yet Sir Craig just told the nation’s watching TV audience that as a member of the IOC he would refuse to fight for his own country’s inclusion in the Olympics, seemingly in a fit of pique because he opposed his fellow Scots’ decision to vote for independence. We’re then asked to accept that this is an expression of his Scottish pride.

Only one side in the referendum debate ever uses the term “proud Scot” – presumably in the belief that their actions make it necessary to assert it, because otherwise the opposite would appear to be true. It’s a phrase we fervently hope to never hear again after this September. There’s only one way to make that happen.

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the ("Tractor" - Ed) moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the ("Tractor" - Ed) appears not a ("Tractor" - Ed); he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.”

when I hear or read from just about any Scot whose name begins with Sir or Lord, or ends in OBE, MBE, CBE etc etc then I can take a fair guess what their view on the union will be.

There are a few notable exceptions that prove the rule.

Having said that, I simply cannot comprehend *any* Scottish person who would not *actively* support Scotland’s role or position in any international organisation. As it stands, what he said is, sadly and shamefully, effectively that he would internally brief *against* Scotland’s position in the olympics. There is no other sense can be taken from his words.

There’s a whole host of Unicef facebook pages and twitter profiles worth sharing from over the next few weeks to help show how Scotland feels and what we support: @UNICEFpalestine @UNICEFiraq @UNICEFAfg @UNICEF_Egypt @UNICEF_UA @UNICEF_SriLanka @UNICEFCambodia etc.

I’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of my career working on some of the world’s biggest sporting events including the 1986 Commonwealths in Edinburgh. I used to loath having to deal with “sports politicians” who were s**t at sports themselves but managed to wangle themselves into positions of power in governing bodies. Sirs & CBEs etc among them. The best thing to do is just ignore them & get the job done. Actually I’d exempt the R&A from that statement.

I’d never heard of Craig Reedie before today but I understand why he is ‘Sir’ Craig Reedie ‘CBE’. Scotland has been cursed for centuries by politicians and placemen who put their own beliefs before the interests of the people they are supposed to represent. When (not if) we become an independent country then presumably we will have a representative who will represent us rather than their own prejudices. Connie Ramsay on the other hand explains exactly why a Yes vote is so important when she refers to the importance of independence for future athletes. She is prepared to sacrifice her own participation for the benefit of others. I hope Sir Craig is suitably humbled and embarrassed by the impression HE made relative to Connie.

Indeed, the counter-argument can be made that the Union has served Scottish athletes so poorly that most of them have had to leave Scotland to find decent facilities. Many of the Scottish Commonwealth Games team train here in Bath.)

I picked up on that earlier.

It holds true for artists, writers and filmmakers. It’s a reality. Those who can’t see it have never experienced it or are purblind.

Saying they should be grateful for Britain’s support (meaning England)is the last dregs of the colonial mindset.

Shows BritNats like this will be unwilling to switch from being proud-Scots-but to becoming Scots in the event of a Yes win. Do they really mean it? When the reality sinks in, will they stand up and work to make Scotland the state we wish?

My own guess is most won’t adapt. They will go quietly into corners and sulk for a very long time.

come a yes vote proud north brit reedie and all the other union piggy backing troughers will be consigned to the dustbin of history where they so rightfully belong.
with residents like this who needs enemies?

and another thing having thought about this for a few minutes. Shouldn’t his statement that he would refuse to represent sportsmen and women in the future – who have done nothing wrong, and who he is duty bound to represent now – be a cause for his resignation?

When we get a broadcaster who at the very least attempts to be even-handed, as John Beattie has every time I’ve heard or watched him, I think it’s enormously counter-productive to hound them remorselessly over every imagined slight.

The fact that he asked the question, giving Reedie the rope to hang himself with, is enough on its own. Viewers don’t need every last point bludgeoned into them. The reply is startling enough that it doesn’t need adding to.

And if Beattie did challenge him further and it was taken out in the edit – and I have no reason to doubt that claim – then berating him is all the more self-defeating.

It is a real scneario that the required paperwork and organisational bodies and their accreditations “might” not happen in time.

However, there is already precedent for such a situation from the 1992 Olympics when athletes from Macedonia competed under the IOC flag. The important thing is that we, as an independent Scotland, support our athletes and make sure they have what they need to be able to qualify.

ProudScotButs like this man will fade into oblivion and historical footnotes when we show them up for the fools that they are.

Sorry to go O’T so early but I thought folks would like to know the latest news coming from “project Gretna.” 😉

Well folks the news coming out of Gretna is just fantastic. The building project, currently called the *ahem* “Gretna Cairn” (here after always referred to, by me, as the Gretna Structure 😉 ) has finally sealed a deal with a fully supporting sponsor. As you will be able to see this *cough* sponsor is a rather well known business and easily recognisable.

Not only am I able to report the great news of new sponsorship for the Gretna Structure but the building itself has been going great guns since the last update last week. 😛

Not since the days of the Roman Empire has a nation such as Scotland been held under the control of the Empire by their own kind.

A visit to Rome to see the glory and the title “citizen of Rome” and they went home to keep the locals in check.

Even more annoying is that the Romans couldn’t take and hold Scotland then but a few greedy people and a cluster of sycophants are trying to do it now for the UK dying Empire.
“Proud Scots” willing to keep the colony under Westminster Rule for personal title and favour.

A Scot can only succeed in the UK if he keeps his mouth shut or follows the message of London HQ.

OT. I was speaking to my parents earlier. They were at the Games opening ceremony dress rehearsal on Thursday. When God save Betty was played, my dad reckoned only about 200 out of a crowd of over 30000 stood up. He was well chuffed.

I think this film is excellent, especially the direct contrast between Sir Craig Reedie and Connie Ramsay. I clicked on the link and watched the whole thing.

Connie is proud of Scotland, she wants the best for her country even if it means that she personally loses out. Sir Craig on the other hand is a ‘proud Scot’. As others have said before me, I do not see how you can be proud of simply being born somewhere, you had nothing to do with it. Being proud of Scotland on the other hand, I think we have every right to be that. When we examine, as we have been doing in the last few years, Scotland’s contributions to the world, they are outstanding and continue to be. These games are already a shining example of what Scotland can achieve.

However, according to Sir Craig we should be grateful for the investment that we have received? What about the conrtbutions that we have made to that investment, Scots buy lottery tickets too, probably far more than our fair share, why shouldn’t we benefit?

He is the establishment, condescending and authoritarian,telling Scots to be grateful for the crumbs from the table, threatening reprisals if we don’t do as we’re told and vote no. She is the future, hopeful, determined and fair.

I’d second Stu’s view. I thought it was a reasonably well balance programme and John Beattie should be congratulated for managing to slip that wee nugget from Reedie past the censors. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, that was an appalling statement from an IOC official.

If I remember correctly, individual or groups who wish to compete in the Olympics, and have “No UN Registered Country” can compete under the UN flag?
There were several instances of this in the last
Olympics , so no one needs miss out to compete.

See Wikipedia :
Athletes have competed as Independent Olympians at the Olympic Games for various reasons, including political transition and international sanctions. Independent athletes have come from Macedonia, East Timor, South Sudan and Curaçao following geopolitical changes in the years before the Olympics, from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (present-day Montenegro and Serbia) as a result of international sanctions and from India as a result of suspension of its national olympic committee. Medals were won by Independent Olympians only at the 1992 Olympics during the shooting events.

The BBC wish to apologise for the recent interruption to British Athletics.Normal Britishness will resume in 7 days time after the pretendy nations compete for GB again.Good God how many times can they say the word Brits its like they are frightened to just say Scottish or English.The first Brit over the line in the marathon was wearing a Scotland vest but he was really competing for GB wasn’t he?They can’t just say the first Scot.

This may not be a popular view on WoS but – Craig Reedie is right, there is little point in him fighting hard to get Scotland into the 2016 Olympics.

The reality is – given the dirty, under-hand tricks which Bitter Together has come up with this far, there is a very good possibility they will drag-out the negotiations following a Yes vote, for as long as they can.

It is possible that Scotland will be totally free by 18 March, 2016 – I hope this is the case, but, I am not holding my breath for this.

However, Sir Craig has been around the BOA and the IOC for a long, long time. He knows how these organisations work. Based on my long experience of Scottish sport, I would doubt that the Scottish organisations which run the individual Olympic sports will have got their individual and combined acts together enough by March, 2016 to have inaugurated a national ‘Scottish Olympic Committee’.

That SOC then has to get itself recognised by the IOC, at a time when that body will be focussed on the upcoming Rio games. Getting Scotland in will not be a priority, the time-scale will be too-tight – we will NOT be at Rio as ‘Scotland’ in 2016.

We might, although it will still be tight, be recognised and in for the 2018 Winter Olympics, where, if in, with our curling teams at least, we will field medal contenders.

The sensible approach would be to get it right and be in for the 2020 Summer Games.

Sir Craig’s power base, such as it is, is in British sport. He is now, an elder statesman, in reality, there is nothing in it for him, on a personal level, to queer his pitch with the BOA or the IOC, by supporting Scotland.

The reality is, elite sport is a luxury. Given the many other issues which the new Scottish government will have to address post independence, I would put funding for elite sport and getting Scotland into the Olympics well down the list.

Elite athletes are selfish people, I would also not be surprised if, post-independence, when the time comes to opt for Scotland or whatever the rump of the UK is called, a lot of Scots opt to compete for rUK, Greater England, EWaNI, whatever that rump calls itself.

Sure, it would be great to see the Saltire at Rio or the 2018 Winter Games, but, not if we go at it half-arsed.

With the low level of administrators we have in many of our sports, better to take our time, get it right and be in with an elite sports set-up fit for purpose.

It’s a pretty shocking comment from Reedie, but I’m glad they kept it in the final cut. It really is a wonderful example of the psychology of those “Proud Scots” – (c) Better Together, 2013 – so embedded in the British elite they would sabotage the democratic will of the people and convince themselves it was a patriotic act. Sad, mindbending stuff.

Despite road closures all over Glasgow’s South Side (which curiously continued well after the marathon had finished), a total of 891 people managed to attend the BBC Anti-Bias Campaign at Pacific Quay. Their can be no dispute of the figure as it was a physcial head-count of everyone at the event.

A real happy, festival atmosphere at the pro-indy event and certainly no one (unlike the recent pro-union event through Glasgow) has had a beer bottle smashed in their face.

Given the eagerness to lump as many of the “home nation” victories into one total this time I suspect the main aim might be to “allow” Scotland’s athletes to compete as part of Team (not as) GB (as it used to be) for one last games for the benefit of the rUK. Not sure what limits are on team sizes at the CWG but surely at least some of those wining wouldn’t have been there in a UK team. For instance my guilty pleasure is the wee man who won at swimming putting his fellow scot who trains in Bath into second place. Seems to put to rest the lie that where you train has everything to do with success.

Cindie spots the good ‘un:I think this film is excellent, especially the direct contrast between Sir Craig Reedie and Connie Ramsay.

Isn’t Connie Ramsay a great example and inspiration!

Put the ossified old dodderer to shame.

Stuart – any way of checking this?:

I understood nations awaiting ratification, or the departure of rats, can participate in the Olympics under the UN flag. If Scotland is in the middle of negotation surely that’s a loophole worth exploiting? We are, after all, a long time supporter of the UN.

“they would sabotage the democratic will of the people and convince themselves it was a patriotic act”

That sums up just about everyone and everything associated with BetterTogether, doesn’t it?

If we had been given a stand up debate between two Scots’ sides, with balanced reporting across the media, then Yes would be sitting on 70% right now. Instead we’ve had every non-violent negative undemocratic tactic available deployed by the Nae side – lies, deception, misinformation, fear-mongering and threats.

The man is simply wrong or deliberately misleading us.Both Bermuda and Puerto Rico have independent nation status inthe Olympics.Both are dependencies!The UN has got feck all to do with IOC recognition.Indeed right now Scotland could apply for independent status in the Olympics.We haven’t because GB Athletics rule over Scottish Athletics and there is no will from our body to ask athletes to switch allegiance and apply for membership.That is our athletes and governing bodies fault for allowing British Athletics to lord over them.The other option is for individual athletes to apply as individual competitors while membership is being ratified.Again it is feck all to do with the UN that’s nothing to do with them.Its about us as a nation saying right now let’s have our own Olympic entry.Unfortunately it will take independence for our folk to grow some balls as it will be forced upon the grey brigade that keep Scotland in its place.

Slightly O/T but if anyone claims singing O Flower of Scotland is disrespectful in the presence of the Queen it might be worth reminding them that she’s descended from both Robert the Bruce and Edward II.

I am beginning to get a wee bit angry with those so called “proud Scots but…..” feckers.

And every time i see a quote from a “proud Scot” fecker i jump automatically to the next page. These people disgust me. A proud Scot would wish his country the same freedoms and recognition as any other nation on earth. Would put his/her country first .ALWAYS !!

By all means vote No all you want but don’t give me the patriotic bull to back up your reason. Your a liar and are admitting that you would rather have someone else run YOUR country than it’s own people.

I have a name for that and it doesn’t have “proud” anywhere near it.

I call it anti-Scot

Or TRAITOR for want of another word.

Well done the wee lassie for stating what EVERY Scot should say.

A for J. Beatie , he tries to be “balanced but has little power over what’s edited .

The C.Games has been hijacked by the BT mob with help from the BBBc and state. But no matter . Our folk are doing us proud and have given us all a lift with their efforts.

Too wee ??? Check the medal table and see for yourself.
too poor ?? The Games where on time, on budget and so far have been a major success.
Too stupid ?? We have few of those types but give us time and we’ll be rid of the whole lot of them.

as for the Olympics games . We will be there representing Scotland . It’s been done by others and is just another scare tactic.

Roll on the 18th . And we can finally get on in a world without the sanctimonious Team GB sh*te.

The good thing is this weeks coverage of our games by BBC England will push more Scots to Yes.I have seen a lot of angry people.When they describe a Scot as a Brit.Would they describe the football team as a British team…no.Why because Scotland is recognised independently by Fifa and Euefa.Thats your clue we don’t need UN status we just need rid of these old ProudScotbuts!

@Socrates MacSporran, if Scotland were to miss out in taking part in the next Olympics because of timing so-be-it, but I still think that Sir Craig’s attitude stinks to be honest. He says, in answer to Gordon Beattie’s question that he wouldn’t support Scotland, because Scotland had done well out of UK Olympic funding. So? If he had said that he doubted that we would get in because of timing but that he would push for entry, that he would support Scotland anyway I would have least had some respect for him.

I would have no problem with Scots competing for rUK either, why shouldn’t they, they have been traing for years and particpating in the next games would only help them grow as athletes. They could then decide whether or not to compete for Scotland at the following games.

Having an independent country means far more than participation in one event. Connie seems to agree, she will still vote yes and was brave enough to come out and say so, even if it does jeopordise something she has been training for since she was a child, whether the answer is yes or not. She has my total respect and admiration. The contrast could not be starker.

Huge cudos to John Beattie for this programme, I think he did an excellent job highlighting the difference between the two campaigns

Really am getting sick saying this have asked several law professors this question as the Uk Governments legal postion is that Scotland ceased to exist it was in there opinion absorbed in to England we have contributed nothing but also would owe no share of debt. A No vote validates this legal opinion it gives it Status
We will have voted to cease to exist
Do we deserve any national teams as a mere region?
Now has anyone asked FIFA because they have sought in past to remome home natins ( copyright bbc commonwealth games coverage)
We now there is legal precedent that the UK consists of one nation England
Now that should focus a few minds no national team and no right to European football for domestic teams
Well anyone answer?

Going back to the betting discussion that was on an earlier thread, does anyone know why Paddy Power has the date of Sunday 5th October 2014 above their referendum bets. What’s the significance of that date?

Also, does anyone know how soon the result is likely to be declared? Early hours of the morning or next day?

Hence the reason Beattie was overlooked to be involved in the games.He is a breath of fresh air.Intelligent,Honest friendly and knowledgeable.Imagine if we had Beattieas the anchor man instead of Lineker and the other English luvies.This is not paranoia. The athletics from Hampden features an American two English and a Welshman.What country is this remind me.But then these people just think of Scotland as theirs..hence the use of home soil.If I was in England I would be in England not home soil.That’s the difference in their attitude.

The Libations released the song “Caledonia” and is onsale on Amazon and Itunes with all proceeds going to local foodbanks.

I have bugged the hell out of Wingers for over a week about this and will offer a small apology , but our folk should not be going hungry in this day and age. It’s the one thing that changed me from strong No voter to a Biased angry YES. And the guys are friends who want to help.

//youtu.be/fMvboi_Wzc8

have a wee listen and see what your missing.

And a big thank you Wingers for pushing the views up on Youtube . And for your endless generosity .

You can see by the age of the old soak that he represents the old guard of the British Establishment. For decades the likes of him, who are politically right for the job, are placemen into position of great authority (see George Robertson erstwhile of NATO). They are British Nationalists from Scotland who really don’t give a damn about the place or the people as long as they are under the butcher’s apron. And with that … ‘no, I wouldn’t stand up for Scotland’ … he gets titles, trinkets and gongs from the British State for his part in keeping Scotland under the thumb.

What Scotland means to them quaffing a fine whisky or lovely scenery to be gawped at while playing a round of golf on some hallowed manicured turf. That is the Scotland they recognise, but politically it should be nothing more than a region of a mother parliament. Go to London and make something of yourself is the mantra. And those who do, pour scorn onto those who don’t.

Reedie’s idea of Scotland was born in 1707 and grew great under the majesty of the Empire, anything outwith this BritNat ideal is offensive to them. It all comes from the Scottish protestant view of Britain and Empire, Scotland’s self-sacrfice for all and sundry under the Union Jack. It was the same thinking of another Union Jack, McConnell, who decided that Scotland didn’t need £1.5bn of its money to spend so gave it back to Westminster ensuring that he had bought his seat in the House of Lords with Scottish tax-payers money.

These endless list of cretins parachuted into Establishment positions with a promise they’d be ("Tractor" - Ed)ous to their own kind so to be accepted by the Hoorays of Whitehall. They have no shame going on camera and declaring the Saltire as nothing more than a political flag, that you ‘should never admit that you are Scottish under the union, you are British first, last and always by gawd’. It must be true even Gordon Brown admits he’s a ‘proud Scotch’ … from North Britain of course. After a NO vote he will go back to being a proud Brit sniffing around for his ermine.

A YES vote will throw off the dead skeletal hand of the Establishment and the baggage that goes with it. Scotland free of the ghosts of the Empire will move lightning fast, progressing into the future and not looking back. These old farts of the union will disappear quickly enough, the strings are cut and they’ll fade away, begone with the Wilsons, Reids, Robertsons, Langs and others that have grown fat in this corrupt, rotten, narcissistic cabal of Good Morning Britain.

A YES vote on the 18th September will mean the sun will never set on Scotland’s future.

Isn’t it wonderful how little these Sir’s need to sell out their so called own Nation and stick Proud in front of themselves. I wouldn’t be proud of that Craig, I would be ashamed you are a disgrace. Who made you a Sir?

Mark Coburn is planning yet ANOTHER bike project but as he says we’ll all have to vote YES to find out what it is. The only thing he has said is that it will be BIGGER than either of the previous two rides he has done. I can only begin to wonder at what this project will involve other than it will require him to ride his bike. 😛

Dougie – Let’s be clear, FIFA has NEVER sought to merge the four Home Nations into one UK team.

What they do get upset about, and I think they have a case, is the carry-over from the deal which England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales negotiated when they re-joined FIFA after WWII.

This allowe all four countries to continue to have individual membership of IFAB (the International Football Associations Board), the body which oversees the Laws of football.

That the four UK nations should have the same representation as the whole of the rest of Europe and far more than the other seven FIFA confederations is a sore point.

FIFA, and in particular Sepp Blatter, would love to grab three of these four places back and dish them out to their friends in Africa, Asia and the Americas, but, the Home Nations resolutely cling onto them.

UEFA in particular, do not want to lose three nations, as they would if the four Home Nations were to be reduced to one UK entity.

There is another wee niggling point when it comes to football in the Olympic Games. Each individual Olympic sport, be it athletics, basketball, curling, ice hockey or whatever, nominates one representative to the British Olympic Association (BOA), which governs the Olympic Games in the UK.

In sports where England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales compete as individual nations, every single individual sport – EXCEPT FOOTBALL – has formed a specific “British” umbrella organisation to handle that sport’s Olympic participation. That, for instance, is how Sir Craig Reedie got on to the Olympics gravy train, when he was appointed as British Badminton’s representative to the BOA.

Football, however, as far as UK Olympic Games particiapation goes, is England’s game. The FA appoints football’s representative to the BOA.

The row before London 2012 was caused by the SFA refusing to have anything to do with the FA-led football team, in case it jeopardised Scotland’s place on IFAB.

Eventually, Blatter realised he would be unable to use the Team GB football squad in London (Team GB is the BOA’s “brand name” for the UK teams)to lever the three IFAB places away from the Home Nations.

But, don’t for a moment believe he will stop trying.

On another point, some posters have mentioned Scottish athletes perhaps being able to enter the Olympics under the IOC flag, pending the completion of the post-Yes independence negotiations and full independence and the inauguration and recognition of the SOC.

Could happen, I am not entirely certain of the protocols for this, however, any Scottish athlete who thus competed would not be parading behind the Saltire, he or she would not (I think) be permitted to wear the saltire or the Lion Rampant and, if he or she won a gold medal, no saltire up the flag pole and FoS, instead, it would be the Olympic five-ringed flag whoch flew and the Olympic Hymn which was played.

This ‘Proud Scot’ Sir, is the personification of everything that makes a YES Vote essential! A face raddled with Drink imbibed at Taxpayers Expense in the Tents of the Elite and Privileged, Knee bent and Forelock Tugged, so many Arses Licked in a Lifetime, it would kill him to even think of losing access to it all by not betraying his Own Country!!

It’s a ‘No Brainer’ for Reedie and his ilk!
Cicero on Traitors
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the ("Tractor" - Ed) moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the ("Tractor" - Ed) appears not a ("Tractor" - Ed); he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The ("Tractor" - Ed) is the plague.
Cicero

I’m having trouble buying the Libations song. Went straight to their website, not wishing to give amazon custom if I could help it but when I clicked the iTunes button it asked me to download iTunes but I already have it. Went to amazon but they don’t have it listed.

Reedie now joins a growing list of Scots who have not only failed to stand up for Scotland but have positively contributed to holding her back. Post 18th September, you will not be forgiven or forgotten.

“Also, does anyone know how soon the result is likely to be declared? Early hours of the morning or next day?”

I read in the Herald that the Chief Returning Officer said the result would be announced when one side had clearly won. Which I guess means when all votes have been counted OR if one side receives votes equivalent to 50%+1 of the total electoral roll and the remaining votes are thus irrelevant.

Of course what time of night that corresponds to I don’t know but I expect a high turnout and lots of votes to count.

Sunday times says everyone in Scotland’s emigrating after Scotland votes Yes, so it’ll just be AlicSamin kicking around then. Wish I hadn’t bought Sunday Times grot today.

ST says that Scotland running Scotland will be like Ireland was and how generations of young Irish left for America. It all comes from a Strathclyde uni economist who says Ireland is what’s “key to understanding AlicSamin’s plan for world domination, eating English people, starting WW3 etc”

Have to say this, I am not impressed at the large numbers of dickheads currently teaching at Scot’s universities and colleges.

And that excludes my girlfriend Professor Aliesbadas at Glasgow uni dept of law. He’s in a vote no UKOK propaganda league of his own.

@Lesley-Anne, Its so funny I think we should all go and help poor old Rory the Tory with his erection. “We must stop democracy in Scotland and save the middle lands from another era of Border Reivers, and also pirates, also scurvy and mass literacy too, all jolly bad things that AlicSamin has resurrected with his evil and cruel separatists dreams. Bring back the lash and transportation to Australian colonies, god save the queen.

Isn’t there a parrallel here with European Membership? If Scotland cannot compete as a sovereign nation or as Team GB, then what right has England to compete as Team GB? I would agree the technical definition of a Nation’s status would need to be sorted out, but that process would be simple for iScotland, whereas the rUK doesn’t even know what to call itself. Team Lesser Britain and N.I?

I agree heedtracker that we should be doing our part, and be seen to be doing our part, to help poor old Tory Rory. With this in mind I can confirm that I have done my bit to help him. I have written to Dumfries and Galloway council to point out a few indiscretions that appear to be taking place with regards to Health and Safety issues. 😛

Those very nice people at Dumfries and Galloway council have fully understood my desire to help Tory Rory because as they do not deal with the matters I raised the have forwarded my e-mail on to the Health and Safety Executive. I fully expect a full reply of what will happen in due course. 😀

OT sort of, there are 2 pics on the WOS twitter showing, I think, another WOS TJ, oor oan Tam Jardine, holding a bottle of Irn Bru with a wee WOS sticker on it. Some wit has tweeted ‘Wings Irn Bru’ made in Scotland from irony. 🙂 Superb!

If Rory the Tory is having trouble with his cairn erection, maybe it should be called the Viagra Cairn. (Although Viagra maker may object if it said cairn doesn’t rise to expectations). 😉

Does Viagra work for disappointment? I hope so cause if it doesn’t they will need to develop something in double quick time to take care of their disappointment in September when the Gretna Structure fails to meet all of its expectations. 😀

@ Lesley-Anne, “Rory the Tory exposes his erection for UKOK shock” well at the very least, proud Scot buts like that reprobate up there will have somewhere to congregate en masse, and all round Rory the Tory’s magnificent erection. Huzzah

Helped count the Wings stall takings at PQ. Don”t remember the exact amount but it was in the region of £275,this being passed to Maryhill food bank via Mark Coburn. Wingers can give themselves a pat on the back.

Today, many treatments for anxiety are based on the medical model of illness and involve prescription medicines to try and deal with the problem. Currently there are four main types of medication used to treat anxiety problems and disorders.

1. Tranquilizers

Tranquilizers (anti-anxiety drugs) work by reducing brain activity and slowing down the central nervous system. This not only reduces anxiety but thoughts and feelings in general. This ‘numbing’ of feelings can be very calming but also habit-forming and long-term use should be avoided.

Benzodiazepines are the most common class of tranquilizers prescribed.
They include:-

Now that a link between anxiety and depression has been established certain antidepressants are becoming more widely used to alleviate anxiety. These medications can take up to 4-6 weeks to take effect and require long-term usage.

There are 3 main types of antidepressant used to treat anxiety:

i) Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s)

These work by reducing the depletion of the neurotransmitter Serotonin (thought to be connected to mood) in the brain. They include:-

Jim & Croomp I stand by your better judgement. I was only watching it on livestream. I remember the guy saying 890 then asking folks if they all had numbers. Apparently some didn’t so they were asked to keep their hands up until they got a number. Towards the end of the protest they then announced the 1200 number but I assumed that was the numbers updated with those who didn’t have numbers earlier. Either way I’m not that bothered. I think this protest was always going to be a difficult one to run because of the Games and what else was going on at the Quay. Next protest in August will definitely be a biggy. in my view. 😀

L-A – I fully expect at sometime in the near future, a magnificently huge cairn will appear overnight (via crane/jcb), announced as an anonymous donation. If that scenario and said cairn doesn’t materialise, they could just withdraw and say they were too stressed. 🙂

The thing is, if the move south of Gretna, where they feel most at home, they will gave to pay for them.

Just for a wee bit of fun BtP, and to raise their level of depression even higher :P, think I’d keep quiet about them having to pay for their anti depressants. Keep it as a wee *ahem* bonus surprise for them. 😀

My own term for these bitter small minded people is, “Butt Scots”. They will always be remembered by their constant mantra, “I’m a proud Scot, but …”. No! Honestly! It really has got nothing to do with where their heads are reported to be lodged.

Did you all notice in the Bittertogether Broadcasting Corpn. lunchtime news from Scotlandshire and their report on today at the Games, opening shot focused in on the one and only union flag that I could see. I’m also totally pissed off with all these commentators who have been parachuted in from London and keep going on about their English athletes when we have so many perfectly capable commentators here and who are some of them anyway. I’m sure that we could have found a job for Chick Young, LOL.

I take it that the ABC will have invited this shower to run the commentary from the next Games on The Gold Coast of Oz, don’t think so as they’ve got more sense. Back at the Manchester Games I wonder how ‘south Britain’ would have felt if nearly all the commentators had been brought in from Scotland or Wales or N. Ireland???

In a spectacular boost to our project, actress and campaigner Joanna Lumley has committed to working alongside volunteers at the cairn on the afternoon of Thursday 31st July, bringing stones from her garden. We would love you to join us.

Aye – saw the top of my heid on Stu’s twitter feed and thought – here we go. I’ve been trying to avoid my image being used to endorse products my whole life and suddenly I’m endorsing Barr’s products on t’internet. For nothing!

I drank seas, oceans of the stuff when I was a student and now it is used in only the greatest of hangovers. I’m not alone in being afflicted by Scottish teeth.

What a magic afternoon – speeches and performances all great, and guid to see so many wingers there. The boys gave out a power of WOS gear. Missed you TJENNY – hope to see you soon.

I can commend the Yes shop on Easter Road to you if you’ve no been in yet – fantastic friendly shop and full of braw Yes gear.

All a little O/T but then what more can I add to the Rev’s post- when somebody so candidly admits to not having Scotland’s best interest at heart there remains little more to say.

What hit you between the eyes, was their ability to speak about why they thought independence was good, and how the likes of David Sole could only tell us independence would be a tragedy. He couldn’t provide any rational reason to vote no, despite him hoping that people will make a rational decision.

Some of these no voters are bonkers. I don’t mind people voting no if they give sensible reasons, but to say it would be a tragedy, or why break 300 years, or we’ve fought together, or we don’t want to be foreigners is just plain bonkers.

It’s sad to see people you once cheered on to score tries lose all your respect when they utter such tripe.

It’s a pity the Sunday Time is pay walled as it too is doing everything it can to help raise Rory the Tory’s big erection, “the remarkable Rory Stewart” and his endless waffle about how it’s the Romans you see, those magnificent if flawed unionists, like Rory, built a big wall to keep out AlicSamin, but this was all big mistake and only the UKOK union can stop AlicSamin and his hordes of delude Scottish lefties, what he’s cunningly duped and deluded and also it’s brought back the Border Reivers too.

Quite a lot of ST grovelling creepiness in centre fold, Dominic Lawson’s Tory Rory stuff about love and marriage and marital problems with Scots, who Rory loves more than anything but it’s got nothing to do with erection problems as modern medicine works wonders these days.

Lawson’s usual sneery UKOK malice this week is how Scottish families are riven asunder arguing
over yes/no which I’ve never heard of but let’s all go and look Tory Rory’s erection and we’ll all be happy again. Sunday times is such a load of shoit now.

It is both shameful and deeply embarrassing that Scotland should contain within it’s population people such as Reedie. Tame Jocks anxious to pander to their British nationalist masters and deny the democratic reality of a YES vote. Sickening really and redolent of a strange psychological condition of self loathing.

Reedie reminds me of Michael Kelly who was equally prepared to act against his own people post YES. I suppose there must have been Black Americans in the 1950’s who hated King and the civil rights movement, had he been Black, Reedie seems likely to have been one of their number.

Spent a few days in Mull and was having breakfast in the hotel in Tobermory. Overheard a conversation between an Englishman who lives on the Black Isle (also stated he had a house in Northampton) and two English women.

They asked him about Shetland and he stated that Shetlanders felt closer to Norway and that most of them wanted their independence. Then one woman said that she thought that Alex Salmond looked cadaverous at the games opening. Following a brief discussion about his diet, the women asked how the vote would go. The response was that No would win as the Highlands would vote Yes but the Central Belt would vote No.

Them there was the usual stuff about Scotland relying on England to survive financially. Then, the bit that took my breath away, he said that ‘We’ can control ‘Them’ because Westminster holds the purse strings.

“Yes,” said one of the women, “if ‘they’ want £80 million for something, ‘they’ have to come cap in hand to ‘us'”.

It was the most blatant example of othering that I’ve come across. I was itching to get stuck in but was at the other end of the (large) room. Probably just as well!

I see there’s a document about the Red Arrows tonight. I wonder whether it has been edited to show conformist red, white and blue. Or, will it actually show some of the many other smoke colours which have actually appeared? I have rest to record and will fast wind through 🙂

It has been noticeable in recent “British” military “interventions”,that
“Scottish units” have been displaying the saltire on their persons and
Armoured vehicles, whilst serving Queen and country.I thus find it
Difficult to comprehend why Scottish athletes competing for “team GB”
Cannot do likewise re the Olympics.

WOW! The video footage from independence live at PQ3 today is inspiringly spectacular! So wish I could have been there.. hopefully I’m free for PQ4 🙂

The format was much like a massive closed set, where the protest took on more of a celebration of Scotland amongst ourselves, with no direct animosity shown towards BBC Scotland or its inhabitants theirselves.. wha’s like us eh?

The people of Scotland played ball today. Full Time score: Scotland 63; Westminster 37 (ps does anybuddy know today’s head-count?).

In a spectacular boost to our project, actress and campaigner Joanna Lumley has committed to working alongside volunteers at the cairn on the afternoon of Thursday 31st July, bringing stones from her garden. We would love you to join us.

Not only are we to have the greatest of pleasure and honour in having Joanna Lumley *ahem* visit the Gretna Structure on Thursday this week but we are also to have greatness itself thrust upon us tomorrow Paula. The one … the only … Sir Rannulph Fiennes is due to descend upon our great Gretna Structure build. I wonder if he is a qualified brickie? 😀

STV news managed to capture a woman wearing a union jack, and a BT no thanks banner in their piece on people struggling to get into the games.
C’mon Glasgow folk we need some YES flags leading up into the games.
They can do it why can’t we.

There were some folk inside one of the venues today alex who had shown a YES Saltire and were apparently warned by the police no less that if they raised their Saltire again they would be REMOVED from the stadium! Sitting just behind were a couple with Union Flags on their tops. Go figure! 😉

@Andrew Morton, that’s shocking. The sheer arrogance of those people! Am impressed by your restraint, though it would have been good to see the look on their faces if you had said something. I must say I’m glad to hear that even they think that the Highlands will go yes, though they’re wrong about the Central Belt. I’ve met a few people like that, they assume that, because I have an English accent I agree with them so I have had several conversations when I have shocked people by declaring that I am voting yes.

That probably won’t be as much of an issue from now on though as the latest Highland version of the yes magazine has an interview with me, which came about after my article on Wings several months ago.

Other than the Pumeza link re Freedom Come All Ye I have this one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBK8swaXZqY , which is a bit closer to the stage and thus the sound is better for the rally at Calton hill. I’ve also got this one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9xIe8OLsWA , which is from a memorial for Mandela. That might be one of the places it came to Pumeza’s attention. Something I didn’t notice, at least consciously, is that the SA flag is hung at the back to make a Y.

The point being that if you have a SA flag and hold it that way in support of the Yes campaign there’s sod all they can do about it. It’s not as if they can invoke some rule about not having a flag of another nation and even if they did you can try an “Is it case I’m naw black?” on them.

After Scottish independence many Scots-born like him will not regard Edinburgh as their capital city but still look to London.

Unionists such as Massie use phrases like, “layered identities” or “multiple identities” to describe people’s nationalities in order to deny that it comes down to a binary choice between Scotland and Britain. They imply that each identity holds equal status within individuals but it is becoming apparent that that isn’t the case at all.

As with Craig Reedie and other unionists Scottishness is a regional identity very much subordinate to British national identity and independence for Scotland won’t change that.

After independence he won’t identify with the new Scottish nation at all and he’ll feel no loyalty to a country created by moving the northern border of his beloved Britain south. To put it bluntly he’ll be an unhappy accidental Scot. Scottish by circumstance not by choice or identity.

I am glad so many got as far as PQ. The roads from our side were closed and at the barrier I was told that they wouldn’t reopen till almost 5pm. The BBC are reporting that protesters were complaining about the bias and treatment of Gaza. We must be careful that when we are protesting for one thing that it doesn’t get diluted with other protests. O/T did anybody see the piece on BBC News 24 with the 16 year old interviewing political leaders. Quite blatently they edited itto show three No things to two Yes things as well as naturally only interviewing the “holy three leaders” and Mike Russell. So no balance there then…..

@ Nana Smith, Aliesalbas of the Guardian CIf is a Professor Adam Tomkins, Glasgow uni Law dude and my Slovene girlfriend. Either that or Aliesbadas cut n pastes every anti iScotland thing Prof Tomkins has ever written, including the use of Prof Tomkins ” iScotland” thingee. But he does read WoS and if you’re out there this evening Adam, thanks for giving up calling Yes voters fascist dictator worshippers. As they say in Slovenia, It’s nice to be be nice:D

Unfortunately there are a lot of people in Scotland who are too ignorant, selfish, spineless and would like to give the impression that they are a cut above the common ordinary folk and forget where they have come from. As I prefer to tag them the (pseudo middle class, not proper middle class)

Too many Scots are unaware that in this Union Scotland has always had the sh*ty end of the stick. Somehow many delude themselves into believing we were ever partners. Not partners in sport, nor anything! We were never partners, we were concubines at best.

“One of the attractions of Scotland for industrialists was that wages were consistently lower than those south of the border. Low labour costs were also achieved through the use of female and child workers, a larger proportion of the workforce than in England; and without whom, arguably, Scotland could never have achieved its early economic growth. ”

Personally speaking, I’d have challenged them to behave civilly in another’s country or leave the table. Insults while in the host’s nation at their host’s expense are deplorable, offensive, and unacceptable.

@Lesley-Anne
There were some folk inside one of the venues today alex who had shown a YES Saltire and were apparently warned by the police no less that if they raised their Saltire again they would be REMOVED from the stadium!

That sounds shocking. I suppose, strictly speaking, it can be a condition of contract when buying a ticket that no political material is used, but that would be no concern of the police.

BTW a Kiwi male has just won a bronze in the 5000m on the Hampden athletics track. He lives and trains in Iten, Kenya. Where athletes train does not matter in terms of who they qualify or want to represent if they have a choice.

@ Nana Smith, large ego indeed but there’s a fair few like Prof Tomkins swinging around Scotland right now laying down their rule Britannia era power and glory. Soon be over. For every liar and bully slamming into the future of Scottish democracy like Adam Tomkins from Slovenia, there’s many more going aye right pal, on yer bike.

He interviewed a boxing champ who was told keep politics out. He is a yes voter and was kept out of the Oz Olympics because if his open support for Scotland and team GeeBee.
Perhaps some watching can give better details.

Beattie’s programme was excellent I thought and I warmed to the man. Not your ordinary EBC stuff. Don’t know how that got through the Union Jack Curtain. Hope it is repeated.

I understand the Rev’s point – this is now a very important place for information. I have a tendency to be flippant – but as with trolls – no longer. I hate to say discipline, it can be misconstrued, now we win – I will continue my flippancy, but only on off-topic. This is now too serious for us to be a social club – many more are listening and reading.

We were at Pac Quay. Stood up the back on the leeward side to minimise chance of passing the cold/flu I have on to others. Did stop briefly at the Wings stall, met Ronnie. Hope I didn’t contaminate anyone.

I like John Beattie. He comes across as a thouroughly decent guy. I suspect there are many like him working in BBC Scotland but unable to make their views known.

With regard to the latest Panelbase poll, I’m sure in the area where I canvass there is a majority for Yes but I don’t know how other areas are doing.
I am at a total loss to understand why so many voters plan to vote No. The events and developments over the last few years and the way Better Together have behaved during the campagn must surely have convinced a majority to vote Yes. If there is a No vote on 19th Sept then a raggle taggle selfish bunch of liars, cheats, bullies, bigots, holocaust denying xenophobes will have prevailed. How can any sane person live with that prospect?

In a way I am now quite relaxed about the outcome. I feel as though I’ve been on journey in the way I feel about this whole thing.I know my decision to vote Yes is the RIGHT one. Whatever the result I will be able to live with myself. I will sleep soundly in my bed at night with a light heart and a clear conscience. Will my No voting compatriots be so fortunate? I think not! They will surely torture themselves with the poison upon which they have gorged. We must be witnessing some form of mass psycosis….

The opening ceremony of the CG made me take another look at the wonderful lyrics to Freedom Come All Ye. It must be the purist distillation of how I feel about my country that I have ever come across. I am pround to say that I once stood on Calton Hill with Hamish Henderson and sang that song with him at a rally in support of the Scottish parliament in the 1990s. I’ve read that he did not want it to become our national anthem but surely one day it must become so?

Freedom Come Awe Ye is a terrific song, wonderful sentiment, however, as a national anthem, it wouldn’t work.

Big Alan Rough once memorably said: “For all I care, they could play ‘She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain’ – I just want the game started.

So, the players standing there, some, I would say many, just want to get the ceremonial over and get on with it.

They don’t have Gareth Malone on their coaching staff, so will probably not be good singers.

Does anyone reading this seriously think, in the comparatively short preparation time they have before internationals, the coaching staff should draft-in Mr Malone, or the splendid Madeleine Smith from the Glasgow Phoenix Choir, to give the team lessons in singing a song with such complicated lyrics as FCAY?

Then, there is the effect on the crowd. We all know the words to Flower of Scotland. At Murrayfield, it works, particularly when the crowd and players sing the second verse acapella.

But, at Hampden, it turns into a race between the band and the Tartan Army, which usually wins. If the TA cannot properly sing a simple folk song like FoS, they have nae chance of singing FCAY.

Then, there is the tune. OK FoS is simple, but, it doesn’t transfer well to the bagpipes, and, since this is Scotland, we must have bagpipes.

Mind you, by far the worst rendition of FoS I ever heard was when it was murdered by the Welsh band at Cardiff before the 1991 Rugby World Cup third-place play-off. They played it at funereal pace, it was truly awful.

If we have to have a stirring anthem, which doesn’t have to be sung, then we should probabaly go for Highland Cathedral – a fantastic tune, but, like the upbeat and catchy Scotland the Brave, suffers from banal lyrics.

I appreciate, anthems are a sore point. A proper, official, Scottish anthem is something we have to sort out once Independence is clinched, but, it may take a referendum to decide which tune we go for.

I mean, England, having ditched the splendidly-stirring Land of Hope and Glory as their Commonwealth Games anthem, now has Jerusalem. Another stirring tune, fine words, but, for the really big sporting occasions, like football and rugby, they insist on borrowing the dirge-like God Save The Queen.

Re Tunnocks sales rising by 62% the article I read only made reference to Waitrose .Now Waitrose is a kind of posh shop and they didn’t say how many T cakes they sold prior to the assertion that sales had risen by 62 % – perhaps they sold a pack once in a blue moon so the article told us zilch.

Also fed up to my back teeth by the intrusive BBBC coverage by the “A” team but it does go to show that the normal Pacific Quay crew are considered inferior to the bunch sent from London. Those from PQ would at least have been able to pronounce quaich and loch not to mention MaClean.

There can be no surprise at guys like Reedie, his whole career is built on Britain. He needs to maintain an Uncle Tom stance to retain his position. If we vote YES its over for guys like him, they’ll be hounded out due to cheek of the rest of us.

As the Yes Saltires are being banned from all the games venues but flaunting the butcher’s apron can be waved with impunity a little lateral thinking suggests waving an apron with ‘NO’ or ‘NO UNION’ printed large and bold would attract plenty of attention!

You’d have thought Croomp, after the fiasco that he ran concerning getting 100,000 to stand hand in hand waving lanterns fell flat on his face, oops sorry fell flat on ITS face, he’d have got the message. Apparently he was out when the message was delivered. 😀

Was watching the end of a boxing match between McFaden (Scotland) and Selby (England). The scot won but there was none of the celebration in the commentator’s voice. In fact he’d spent the whole of the bit I saw telling us how difficult it was to fight someone who gets you to attack them and how that was going to loose the englishman the bout.

Sounds like the same commentator who covered the Scotland England Judo matches the other day orri. In that match the commentator just could not shut the feck up about the English Judo competitor almost never mentioned the Scot or that she was even from Scotland! Utterly disgusting!

I’m getting the feeling the commentators are giving it England,England,England,England,England,England,England,someone else here’s Scotland. England,England,England,England, grudgingly here’s Scotland again. Let’s find a Union flag, grudgingly show saltires,England,England,England. Or am I way off the mark here.

Nana Smith says
“Maybe there are still some crackerjack pens lurking in the bbc basement.”

CRACKERJAAACCCKKKK 🙂

Socratese MacSporran says
“If we have to have a stirring anthem, which doesn’t have to be sung, then we should probabaly go for Highland Cathedral – a fantastic tune,”

I with you on that one Socratese,
no words for the knuckle draggers to ruin,
just keep quiet and look respectful.

Someone get Tiderium an alert readers badge! 🙂

Walking back from PQ yesterday to the car we
passed two pubs almost side by side both clearly rangers pubs and one with an old faded UJ hanging over the door, the publicans and drinkers were standing on the street when we passed and a few “vote no’s” and “up the union” were spoken but the demeanor of the people was subdued and sullent rather that agressive and up for a debate, so we walked on,

I have seen that sullen and defiant look before and couldnt think where,
then I got it, it was the look on the faces of captured Germans in footage of the DDay landings and the relief of France, the look of a defeated army downtrodden and despondent,

These people KNOW we’re going to win we KNOW we’re going to win.
SO LETS GET THIS OVER WITH!

I long since stopped getting annoyed at the BBC in London (well it’s Manchester actually – that’s where BBC Sport is based)and its self-appointed role as cheer-leaders for Engerlund, Engerlund, Engerlund.

They know not what they do – it’s in theie DNA.

But, the Commonwealth Games – like the Olympics, but smaller and nicer; is all about what the footballing public in Scotland term the “diddy” sports – the pastimes which don’t get the lurid headlines, but come out of the closet into public gaze every two years, at the Olympics and Commonwealths.

Engerlund is by far the largest of the two nations, one principality and one province which collectively forms the UK. And, for all but two or three months of each four-year OIlympic cycle, the swimmers, runners, etc of those sports which are in the Olympics train and play together as Team GB.

The commentators and reporters who cover these sports get to know these athletes as “British”, but, since they are overwhelmingly English themselves, they suffer from the English disease of not being able to differentiate between England and Britain.

So, in that four-yearly three week period when James and Jean Smith of Team GB take the blue out of their kit to become Jim and Jean Smith of Team England, Team Scotland, Team Northern Ireland or Team Wales, the commentators struggle to adapt.

To be fair, those Scots who are in the elite athlete programme and are regulars in Team GB, do get recognition and support from the media.

Also, the commentators are speaking to an audience which is largely non-Scottish. However, where the Scot is the story – Daniel Wallace or Errid Davies, they have been generous in their support.

OK, they missed Wallace’s shout of “For Freedom”, but, given the commentators have spent years immersed in swimming pools, the significance of a Scot named Wallace shouting: “For Freedom”, probably passed ten feet over their heads.

Also, let’s not forget, England has won more medals than Scotland, although, pro-rata, we are giving them a doing. Working for the media, you are trained to be even-handed, but, you are still human and, ocassionally, you don’t get it right.

I have posted on WOS before, Games coverage by the BBC has to cover the whole of the UK, so, the national arm of the Corporation is in-charge, but, I have been pleasantly surprised at how many Scots have been seen on the stuff which is going out to the entire country: Hazel Irvine, Lee McKenzie and Dougie Vipond have presented. Andrew Cotter, Paul Mitchell, David Currie, Scott Hastings and Andy Nicol and Kathleen Grainger have been prominent on TV and I am sure that there are a lot more than 10% of the alleged 600 BBC staff sent up here who speak with a Scots accent – the Jocks have always been prominent behind the scenes in the media.

There have been calls for more BBC Scotland faces to be seen, we maybe forget, there is very little slack in Pacific Quay and they still have to cover the Games for Reporting Scotland and the like, so, they cannot deplete their own ranks to beef-up the national team. And, in any case, the vast-majority of the “talent” at PQ! know a wee bit about fitba and hee-haw about anything else – Chic Young covering netball anyone?

We cannot do much about the BBC’s seeming default position of being cheer-leaders for England.

Well, actually we can. We can vote Yes on 18 September and start to bring about the creation of a Scottish, rather than British Broadcasting Corporation, concentrating on putting across a Scottish view of events.

Except, being Scots, we will probably moan like hell that the coverage is too Glasgowcentric or something; you know what a thrawn lot we Scots are.

In fact we are almost as thrawn as say folk from Cornwall or Yorkshire, who are always moaning about how everything in the BBC is geared to London!!

The IOC and BOA have plenty history of this kind of nonsense.
Alain Baxter got reprimanded for dying his hair in a saltire, and was (I understand) threatened with expulsion from the GB winter olympic team. Similarly Campbell Walsh (kayak silver in Greece) had to use sticky tape to disguise a saltire as a UJ on his helmet.

Meanwhile the reverse is part of TeamENGLAND’s kit. UJ on cycling teams helmets…

I remember as a kid listening to the hated the EBC radio. I couldn’t understand why the “Plucky” English/British boxer was winning until the end, when he ended up another canvasback. It was not until I saw the Pathe News later at the “pictures” that I saw the plucky British boxer being pummelled all round the ring. It wasn’t fair. The Ham Shanks punching their glass jaws like that. We all cheered the Yanks these days and the only Scots voices we heard on the radio or cinema was caricatured ones, usually very mean people, unless they had voices like that great revolutionary, Alastair Darling and co.

I would be quite happy if Scotland NEVER joined the IOC and ALWAYS sent their athletes as independent Olympians. The IOC is the sort of body that is open to corruption and there’s already too much politics in what, unfortunately, is now just a big money making scheme. Most of the administrators seem to be wanting to control who can (their political supporters) and who cannot (their political opponents)earn a living from their sport. Must be some EU rule that that infringes.

There are 9 episodes of the BBC’s Referendum Documentaries on the iplayer. All of them have between 6 and 10 months left to view…. Except one.
I just watched it because a friend advised me to, “it’s good” he said.
I watched the first three of this series and gave up because they are shite. This one is different, it is good. It’s fair and I think impartial. Which is probably why the BBC are only giving you another 4 days to watch it even though it’s the latest episode and was only aired on the 22nd of this month.
If you haven’t seen it, you haven’t long…. Remember, the rest have months left, here’s the link, but if you wait too long it’ll be gone. I WONDER WHY?
Episode 9: The Games People Play (ironic title, eh!)http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b03t7cbs

tiderium says:
I’m getting the feeling the commentators are giving it England,England,England,England,England,England,England,someone else here’s Scotland. England,England,England,England, grudgingly here’s Scotland again. Let’s find a Union flag, grudgingly show saltires,England,England,England. Or am I way off the mark here.

Tiderium, and all of those that agree with this, it’s been nothing of the sort. Are you having a laugh? Two Scottish mentions compared to every 14 for England? I must be watching a different show then, as there’s been a far greater English representation than what you have alluded to.

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